


A Masquerade

by EdinaSaunders



Category: Hannibal Lecter (Hopkins Movies), Hannibal Lecter Series - All Media Types, Silence of the Lambs - Fandom
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-19
Updated: 2016-10-19
Packaged: 2018-08-23 12:04:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8327173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EdinaSaunders/pseuds/EdinaSaunders
Summary: Ardelia persuades Clarice to go to a masquerade ball to get her mind off of you know who. Will it work?





	

**Author's Note:**

> Post Silence of the Lambs. Slightly AU. Clarice meets Hannibal again only one year later instead of eight.

Clarice Starling wasn't the type to go to a masquerade ball voluntarily. Ardelia had been the one to convince her to go to such an event. It would help her take her mind off...him, she had said. She had said it just like that too, with the long pause before saying him as if she wouldn't have known who Ardelia was talking about if she hadn't emphasized it. It didn't need to be emphasized; it was very clear who 'him' was, and Ardelia was right. She needed to stop thinking about him. 

Ardelia was as happy as could be when she finally persuaded Clarice to go with her. Men was the topic on her mind. Maybe they could meet a couple of nice men to take home. Clarice had only rolled her eyes at the thought. She was only going for a change in scenery; a distraction if you will. 

Ardelia took her out to get a dress and a mask for the both of them. Clarice followed her friend reluctantly, knowing that this was a necessary thing to do before going to a masquerade ball, though she couldn't say she was fond of it. She let Ardelia take charge in picking out her outfit for the event. She trusted her to pick out something suitable. 

Clarice had sat herself in the back of the costume store near the fitting rooms and waited as Ardelia perused the racks of costumes. Ardelia had come back with a dress that was bigger than the both of them put together. It was Victorian style, complete with a corset and it was a deep purple with accents of lighter purples throughout. Though Clarice would never have admitted to picking it out personally, the dress was truly breathtaking. 

With the dress, Ardelia had selected a matching mask with subtle gold trim. For herself it was much less grand of a dress and mask, though still beautiful. Ardelia was the pink to her purple. 

The night of the masquerade was quickly upon them. Clarice was still on the edge about going, but she had promised Ardelia, and Ardelia had gone to the excessive expense of buying her the dress and mask, so at this point it really was an obligation. Perhaps it wouldn't be as dull as she expected. She might have fun observing the beautiful gowns and dancing couples. 

"Clarice, are you getting ready? We should leave in the next couple of hours. I was going to do your hair remember?" 

"Yes. I'm getting dressed now." Clarice struggled with the large skirted dress as she worked it over her hips. 

"Do you need help with the corset?" Clarice replied in the affirmative and Ardelia came in to tie up the laces on the bodice. 

"Don't do anything too fancy with my hair, okay?" 

"Are you sure? This is the time where you could go all out. I could make you look authentically Victorian." 

"Please, Ardelia, keep it simple." 

"Yes, ma'am." 

Ardelia ended up letting Clarice's hair fall into loose curls. Both women were satisfied with how it turned out. They were ready and masquerade bound. 

The location was impressive and certainly not understated. There was already a substantial crowd of people when they arrived. It would not be an exaggeration to say that Clarice's extravagant ensemble turned many a head as she made her way inside. 

Clarice spent much of the night observing as she had intended to. She had danced with a couple of the men that had asked her, for the sake of not disappointing Ardelia. She had even shared a dance with Ardelia simply for the fun of it. 

While she danced with Ardelia she brought up a man she had observed several times that night. He was the best dressed of any of the men she had seen. "Ardelia, have you seen him before?" 

"He doesn't look familiar. Why?" 

"I don't know. He's interesting, I guess." 

The song came to a close and the host announced the beginning of the final song and asked that everyone find a partner to share the last dance with. "You should dance with him, maybe find something out about your mysterious man." 

Clarice didn't respond to Ardelia, who was whisked away by the man she had been dancing with most of the night. Clarice had intended to sit this last song out and enjoy the beauty of the moment from afar but as she turned to recede from the crowd, the man she was so enamored with appeared in front of her, offering his hand. 

He said nothing to her, just stood before her, offering to be her partner for the last dance. Without much consideration she took his hand and let him take her back into the middle of the ballroom to where he had been just moments ago. 

Once everyone had their partner and their spot on the dance floor, the song started up. Clarice had yet to hear a word from this man. She didn't know any more about him than she had before. She couldn't even see his eyes that well because they were shadowed by his mask. 

She did find out that he was an excellent dancer. The best she had danced with all night, though that number was only two. She could have danced with every man in attendance and most likely wind up thinking the same thing. His hand in hers was very warm. Not sweaty, not nervous, just warm. She'd venture to say comfortable, even. He had a very delicate touch. His arm around her waist was light as a feather as he twirled her around the room. 

She was so in the moment that she allowed herself to move closer to him than she had with the other men. She started to experience the words of the song as if she had been with this man before. As if she was in love with him. She wasn't, she knew, but maybe she could be.

She connected with him like she had no other. He had charm, despite not having said a word to her. It was a connection she couldn't properly describe if anyone asked her to.  
Nearing the end of the song the host had prepared them for the removal of their masks and revealing themselves to their partner when the song came to a close. Then as the last note played, Clarice surprised herself. She pressed a gentle kiss against the man's lips, lasting until the final note softened to silence. 

Their dance ended in the middle of the ballroom just as it had begun. Clarice had stood very close to him and felt his arm remove itself from her waist and his hand let go of hers. She had refused to open her eyes until some moments after she felt his touch leave her body.

Her eyes fluttered open as she removed her mask for the reveal. He had gone. Her eyes searched for him in the crowd, but found him nowhere. Why had he fled? Where did he go?

Then she saw someone climbing the grand staircase. It was him. She followed. Getting through the crowd of people proved difficult due to the size of her dress, so she had fallen behind and had lost him before reaching the top of the stairs. She decided to take her chances and continued looking. 

It didn't take her long to find a door leading out to a balcony that had been left open ever so slightly. He had to be there. Clarice opened the door and stepped out into the chilled night air. There he was. 

"Why did you leave?" Clarice asked. The man had still not taken off his mask. He moved so that he stood between Clarice and the door, but he made no attempt to flee again. 

"I feared you wouldn't like to see me," the man said, reaching with one hand to take off the mask as he spoke his first words to her. 

At only the sound of his voice a shiver ran through Clarice. She had known him all along. Hannibal. He had taken a great risk in coming here, and then to dance with her. But she had been the one to kiss him. He was as good at that as he had been at dancing. After the events of the night, she was unsure how she felt about him, about anything. 

"I understand if you wish to leave. I won't stop you. I only ask that you let me go as well." 

Clarice made no moves to leave. She had more questions. "Why did you dance with me?" 

"I hadn't planned it. You were the last person I had expected to be here. Then I saw you dancing with a man in the crowd and I swore I wouldn't leave without having danced with you." 

"I was watching you all night and I had no idea it was you under that mask." Clarice once again found herself closer to him like she had done when they danced. It's as if they were magnetized. She didn't back away, even after she realized. It was his turn to move closer. Still she didn't step back. 

He put a hand on her cheek, brushing his fingertips gently from cheekbone to chin. She trembled, but not out of fear. Hannibal looked into her eyes and tried to read her feelings through them, but got nothing. 

"Hannibal," Clarice's voice was soft. She looked back into his eyes as he did with her. "Kiss me." 

Hannibal brought his mouth to hers with a desperation that seemed unlike him. His kiss felt so right and so wrong to her at the same time, but she gave herself over to it completely. She had been the one to ask for it. 

This evening was supposed to be one where she could forget about Hannibal. His escape, his story, even his name, but she had been drawn back to him and that had to stand for something more significant than a coincidence. 

"I'll take you with me if you wish. I know you came with a friend, but now you have an open invitation to depart with me if that's what you want." Hannibal had extended his hand like he had when he first offered to share a dance with her. 

Like the first time, she did not put much thought into her decision when she took his hand. It felt as right as it did the first time and that must have meant it could be no mistake. They had both come here this evening and wound up together at the end of it all. It was only fitting that she leave with him. It would be the start of a new life, a vastly different one, but perhaps it's the life she had been waiting for and the life she wanted ever since the first touch of their hands, nearly a year ago.

**Author's Note:**

> I take clannibal requests. I'll take them here and also on my tumblr blog. 
> 
> Tumblr link: http://requests-imagines.tumblr.com


End file.
